Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Zeta Project'. I do not own any of its characters. It's just a fanfic.
As English isn't my native language, I want to thank Purple-Rosie for her editing help on this chapter.
Unique
by Iglika
Chapter 1
Ro's point of view
All the people in the royal ball room silenced and held their breath. Nobody moved. It was like the only living things here were the flames of the thousand candles on the huge chandeliers.
Even the ladies didn't fan themselves. Including me. I stood like a frozen too, holding my ivory fan with my right hand while my left hand slightly touched my rose dress as if I was waiting to lift it a little bit above my rose shoes if I would be call in...
No, that was impossible. That was a dream only. Who was I? Just a girl, like all the rests. A tiny girl. And yet…I had done everything I was able to in order to look beautiful and to catch his attention. I had put my long blond hair in a high bun with many curls, decorated with rose and white roses and hairpins with pearls, my long dress was rose silk fabric madden, decorated with rose and white roses as well. My golden earrings had the shape of roses and my golden necklace had a jeweler's rose as well.
My mother, who was standing near behind me, had said that I look like a just picked beautiful rose and she said that I have to look like this as my name is Rosalie and I am beautiful like a rose…
I had blushed. I knew my mother was sincere, but I wasn't sure she was able to estimate me on the right way. I was her daughter and a mother always sees her own daughter as the most beautiful girl on the world. But was I beautiful for real? I had searched the answer from my father, but he was such a sparing of words person. All he said was: 'Your eyes have the light of the sky, Rosalie. You don't have to be worry.' That was all he said. Now he was standing beside my mother, they both were dressed in gold, silk and velvet and they both stood behind me with the honorable pride that their daughter was worthy to be chosen for the prince's bride.
But I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure I was beautiful enough, I wasn't sure I was worthy to be…
There he was!
The prince had entered the ball room, surrounded by his suite…
Handsome, strong and very tall, he walked slowly toward his throne. Four pages held his long royal purple mantle. His athletic body was dressed in a lilac tunic. Underneath the tunic he wore a white shirt with laces on the long sleeves. There was a big golden medallion over his broad chest and a heavy sword with a golden haft was hanging on his black belt. His legs were tightening with white leggings.
He wore high black boots, which reached his knees. A golden crown with diamonds, rubies, pearls, sapphires and emeralds glittered on his long raven black hair, which was combed into a ponytail.
Everything in him was perfect, exactly as it had to be as he was a prince, excluding a black forelock over his forehead. This disobedient tuft of his hair gave something so charming on the manly featuring of his sharp face that I had the wish to gently caress his face and remove this lock from his black eyebrows in order to look straight into his deep blue eyes…
All the people around were standing still as if petrified, except the ladies he passed by, they made a deep curtsy and he slightly nodded as an answer.
So many young ladies like me…
Blue, golden, silver, rose and red dresses; blonde, black-haired, red-haired beauties…
Who would be the lucky one?
Who would be the girl, he would choose?
I had seen him; everyone had caught a glimpse of the handsome Prince of Zetabowm.
But he had never seen me.
He didn't know me.
As he had never seen and he didn't know all the rests of the girls here.
And now, after merely one and only look over all the pretenders, he had to decide who, from all of those girls, would be his future wife.
I didn't understand how this was possible, I mean…a husband and a wife had to have something to talk about, something to share, they have to be friends, they have to trust each other and they have to love each other, endlessly, madly, fiery. They have to be everything to each other, they have to be able to give their life for each other, they have to be best friends and fervent lovers... how was it possible for someone to estimate that he would have all this from merely one and only look?
Well, I…I had fallen in love with him…a long time ago, I had seen him so many times…but he…he was the prince – brave, noble, handsome…
But who was I?
Just a young lady among all the others like me.
Just a girl.
He didn't know me.
My existence had no sense.
And I had no right to expect that he, the prince of Zetabown, would choose me.
I had no right to meditate about the traditions either. I wasn't able to change them, so it didn't matter what my opinion was.
He approached.
The prince of Zetabown was so near to me yet!
The ladies, who were standing on my right side, made their deep curtsies, it was my turn and I bent my head while making a reverence…
But when I lifted my head again…
He had stopped.
The prince of Zetabown with whole of his suite around him had stopped and he was standing right in front of me with his hand stretched towards me…
He had chosen me?
Me?
My heart skipped a beat and then began to go fast…
No, there…there was no mistake…he had chosen me, his hand was still stretched towards me and his deep blue eyes looked at me…
He had chosen me!
He had chosen me…
Me!
He even didn't go to the end of the line of pretenders, he had chosen me and that was his decision…
I gave him my right hand, while my left hand lifted a little bit of my long dress above my shoes.
He didn't wear gloves and I felt the warmth of his hand when he held mine.
His hand was strong, but tender at the same time, and so firm that I was sure – I could trust him with my life…
Yes, I could trust him with my life. His blue eyes were telling me this. He had seen me for the first time in his life, but it was like he knew me already, it was like we both knew each other for all of our lives.
It was more than love from first sight, he loved me no less than I loved him. How was it possible? I didn't know. And I didn't want to think about it right now. The only thing I knew was that everything was true.
I saw an unhidden fire in his deep blue eyes, a wish, barely held in to kiss me here and now, in front of all those people. He wanted to brake the tradition to kiss me right away no matter what the people would think and say…
Led by his hand I made a step toward him. He was so tall that I had to lift my head in order to look at his eyes again.
No one expected what he did next, but I expected it. I knew he wanted to do this and I wanted it too. I wanted him to kiss me, right here and now, no matter what people might think and say. And he did it. He bent over me and he kissed me, very lightly and tenderly at first, but then really fervently...
When he broke our kiss, a suite of girl-servants came to me from nowhere and they stood around me just as his suite was around him.
I knew the ceremony – I had to be led away, in a special room, where my servants had to dress me in the white wedding gown, but... he still held my hand…
"May I know the name of the Lady of my heart?" He asked with the most beautiful male voice I had ever heard.
"My name is Rosalie, My Lord." I answered, bending my head for a new reverence, but he stopped me, slightly touching my chin and gently making me to lift my head again and to look at him.
"You have a beautiful name, Milady. But there's no need for you to make a curtsy in front of me anymore. You will be my wife and you may call me Zee. Only you."
I smiled and lightly nodded and…I was about to answer him, but I stopped myself. I wanted to beg him something, but it was too bold. Yes, he was different, he had just broken the tradition and he had kissed his future bride before the wedding, but still…I didn't dare to ask him this…
As if he had read my thoughts, he kept looking into my eyes even more insistently and he said softly, "You can ask me whatever you want to, Rosalie."
Encouraged by his words, I smiled again, a little bit shy this time, but yet I said, "Then may I ask you to call me Ro? Only you."
The way I repeated his words wasn't a try to make a fun of it, on the contrary, it was a proof that we both were different than the others, that we were tied, somehow… somehow invisible…
He smiled and his face became even more handsome, lightened up by his bright blue eyes, "Of course, Ro."
Then he took my hand in his again, he bent, making a gentlemanly bow and he placed his lips on my hand in a gentle kiss.
Then…
My suite of girl-servants…the special room, decorated all over with gold and ivory…I entered there with the girls of my suite and they dressed me in the white wedding gown, decorated with diamonds and pearls…then they put on my bun the long lace wedding veil…
Then the ceremony…
I wasn't able to realize anything; I wasn't able to hear even a word…
All I was able to see were his deep blue eyes and all I was able to feel were his dry and warm lips on mine when the ceremony was over and he kissed me as his wife…
I woke up.
to be continued…
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